Hoover High School seniors get ready to line up for graduation on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, at UAB's Bartow Arena. New data released by the ACT college preparatory organization suggests students from Hoover and Spain Park high schools' Class of 2013 collectively were less ready for college than the Class of 2012. (Tamika Moore | tmoore@al.com)

HOOVER, Alabama - The average ACT college prep test scores for Hoover City Schools dropped slightly this year after several years of gradual improvement, data released by the school system on Friday afternoon shows.

And Hoover and Spain Park high school students who graduated in May collectively appear less ready for college than the previous graduating class, test scores indicate.

The average composite ACT score for the Hoover school district fell from 23.6 in 2012 to 23.2 this year. The average composite score at Hoover High dropped from 23.4 to 22.7 this year. At Spain Park, the average composite score dropped from 24.1 to 23.9.

ACT also sets benchmarks in English, math, reading and science to determine whether students are prepared for college.

The percentage of Hoover High's Class of 2013 who were deemed ready for college in all four subjects fell from 36 percent to 34 percent. More students at Spain Park - 45 percent - were deemed ready for college, but that was down from 48 percent in 2012.

For the Hoover school district as a whole, the percentage of students in the Class of 2013 who were deemed ready for college dropped from 41 to 39 percent. The state percentage increased from 18 to 20 percent, while the national percentage grew from 25 to 26 percent.

ACT defines "college ready" as having the skills needed to have a 50 percent chance of making a B or higher or a 75 percent chance of making a C or higher in a first-year college course in a given subject area.

"I'm always disappointed when I see scores that are lower than we expected, especially after five straight years of steady growth," said Ron Dodson, the Hoover school district's assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, in a written statement posted on the school district's website late Friday afternoon. "But after 25 years in the business of education, I've learned that real human beings are complex and don't always respond in ways that we expect; therefore results aren't always what he hope for or expect."

Dodson said it's always prudent to consider multiple data sources and said he was encouraged that 48 percent of students in the Class of 2013 were offered scholarships totaling $55 million.

Hoover schools Superintendent Andy Craig

Superintendent Andy Craig said in the statement that Hoover's two high schools have proven strategies in place that are designed to increase the college readiness of students.

The ACT college and career readiness standards were embedded in the district's high school curricula five years ago and serve as a major component of the state's new college and career readiness standards for English and math in grades 3-12.

Hoover officials track the success of their alumni in college, receiving detailed feedback reports from the University of Alabama and Auburn University each year and limited feedback from other select institutions, school officials said. This helps them tweak instruction as needed, they said.

"Drilling down to more detailed data will help us unpack the rest of the story," Craig said in the written statement. "We know that these particular strategies have led us to success in the past, and we will continue to search for new ways to help students meet college and career ready benchmarks. Educators and administrators at both of our high schools work very hard on this front each and every day."

Hoover High Principal Don Hulin

Hoover High Principal Don Hulin said in the statement that school officials are pleased that the test scores of all students in the Class of 2013 are reflected in the average score, and not just scores of a select population. In years past, scores from students testing under special conditions, such as those given extended time, were not included in the overall class averages. The inclusion of all students in averages was put in place by ACT this year.

ACT officials also noted that readiness scores in science and reading this year might be slightly less comparable to previous years because of adjustments in the benchmark. The reading benchmark score was raised from 21 to 22, and the benchmark score for science was lowered from 24 to 23, based on feedback from colleges.

Accordingly, some schools may have shown more of a drop in readiness percentages in reading and a greater increase in readiness percentages in science, ACT officials indicated.

Hulin also noted that Hoover High's Class of 2014 has at least 56 students who have scored a 30 or above on the ACT.

Spain Park Principal Ken Jarnagin

Spain Park Principal Ken Jarnagin said students there are prepared to take the ACT earlier than most students at the national level due to the school's excellent curricula structure and delivery of instruction by classroom teachers. "Our teachers are well-versed in ACT content and thoroughly cover content," he said.

Dodson noted that Hoover schools administer other ACT tests for students in grades 8 and 10 to capture formative data and identify early gaps. Parents need to know that those ACT Explore and ACT Plan reports are important and useful tools in helping children improve their academic performance, he said.

While most parents look only at the composite score and national percentage rank of their children, the reports also include very helpful and individualized career guidance information and specific recommendations for helping students improve future performance, Dodson said.

He encourages parents to work with school counselors to break down information in those reports and have their students take advantage of evening and weekend ACT prep workshops. There also are ACT practice exams that can be taken at home and online.

Hoover schools Assistant Superintendent Ron Dodson

"I believe we have the most outstanding teachers, leaders and support staff that can be found in any school system in this nation," Dodson said in the statement. "Great educators want to work in this system because they see parent and community support in action and hear from our employees how exciting it is to work in a school system committed to continuous improvement in word and deed."

"We aren't afraid to take risks in this district," Dodson said. "We celebrate our victories together, we lean on one another when we face setbacks, and we always seek new and better ways to engage children in the important work of learning. I am proud to be a member of this professional community in Hoover City Schools."

Here are some more detailed tables showing how Hoover and Spain Park students did on the various portions of the ACT, as well as their collective college readiness scores for both the individual schools and Hoover district as a whole. State and national comparisons are shown as well: